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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25911649">my hand in your hold; we got ripped apart</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/FluffyFyuu/pseuds/FluffyFyuu'>FluffyFyuu</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>EXO (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Royalty, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Betrayal, Blood, Bodyguard Kim Minseok, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kidnapping, M/M, Modern Royalty, Prince Kim Jongdae | Chen, or is it not?</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:35:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>953</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25911649</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/FluffyFyuu/pseuds/FluffyFyuu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jongdae runs and follows Minseok, trusting him to get them somewhere safe.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kim Jongdae | Chen/Kim Minseok | Xiumin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Challenge #6 — Rise of Kingdoms</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>my hand in your hold; we got ripped apart</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>The grip around his wrist is tight. </p><p>It hurts, but Jongdae barely registers the pain and keeps running. Minseok is in front of him, tugging him through crowded streets that Jongdae should recognize and fails to do so. Noise of cars and tourists laughing fills the air, but it is droned out by the white noise in his ears. Jongdae's breath comes in fast and short puffs, legs protesting against running. </p><p>But all Jongdae can do is stare at Minseok's hand around his own, his eyes burning and mind frozen. </p><p><em> There was so much blood. </em> </p><p>On the floor ... on the walls ... dripping from cold fingertips …</p><p>Jongdae’s too overwhelmed to cry, there’s a weird taste in his mouth and his tongue feels too heavy. He notices Minseok turning to him, lovely feline eyes wide in concern, sending him a worried look - which Jongdae can only answer with an empty gaze. </p><p>Because Kyungsoo and Baekhyun are dead. His best friends and trusted, royal advisors are dead; their throats cut and their bodies lying in a puddle of their own blood.</p><p>It was supposed to be a safe house ... </p><p>When Minseok and Jongdae returned after getting groceries, they didn’t notice anything unusual. Or did they? Jongdae doesn’t really remember anything from before he caught sight of his dead friends. He knows that he froze, dropping his bags and that he stuttered their names in a shocked whisper.</p><p>But he also remembers that Minseok, the gorgeous bodyguard that he is, didn't hesitate to stop Jongdae from getting closer to them, to pull him outside and to run. Jongdae doesn’t know how long they are running already or where Minseok is leading him to. He just follows, trusting Minseok without a doubt to get them somewhere safe. And as his legs keep moving through the crowd, dark thoughts crawl their way into his anxious brain. </p><p>Was he meant to be the one lying dead on the floor? But why would he, he’s only the Second Prince. He's not even of age yet to join the senate officially ... wouldn’t the Crown Prince and Senator be a better target?</p><p>Panic has Jongdae blanch at the thought, his hands start to shake - loosening the hold Minseok has on his wrist.</p><p>What about his brother, Crown Prince Junmyeon? Jongdae needs to contact him, he needs to make sure that his brother wasn’t attacked as well -</p><p>It all happens suddenly, a shoulder knocking against Jongdae and causing him to stumble, an arm pulling him backwards and out of Minseok's grasp. Jongdae’s heart stutters when he loses sight of Minseok, a man stepping between them. His lower face is covered with a scarf, sharp eyes above it glowing with menace. </p><p>Jongdae gasps and steps back on instinct, but he's met with a sturdy chest. Then, fabric gets shoved into his mouth, fingers pull at his hair while tying the fabric around his head. He almost gags and manages to shout in protest a second later. </p><p>But Minseok isn’t there and nobody pays attention to him, his muffled shout only adds to the noise of people around them. Before his mind clears enough to struggle against the hand against his neck, Jongdae feels something solid, metal pressed against his side. He freezes.</p><p>“Play along and nobody gets hurt.”</p><p>The voice is deep, muffled by a scarf and all Jongdae can do is nod, suppressing a whimper. An arm is thrown around his shoulder, appearing friendly to outsiders and keeping Jongdae’s scared expression hidden from others, trapping him. The man leads him away, steps hurried and Jongdae follows, too scared to struggle against him. </p><p>He tries to look around, eyes searching for Minseok with desperation in his gaze. But all Jongdae can see are tourists, babbling away in foreign languages and the other guy staring at him with burning eyes. The skin around them wrinkles, as if the man is smiling behind the scarf and it has Jongdae’s skin crawl, averting his gaze. </p><p>The farther they get from the crowd, the faster he gets pushed towards an alley, with a car waiting for them. The metal is still poking into his side and the fabric in his mouth has his breathing get too fast, too shallow to voice any more protest. Thoughts tumble around in his brain, but they circle around only one person.</p><p>What’s with Minseok?</p><p>Where is he?</p><p>Why didn’t Minseok react to Jongdae’s shouting?</p><p>Shouldn’t he have found him by now?</p><p>What if ...</p><p>Dread fills his being, his heart pumping adrenaline through his body.</p><p>
  <em> What if Minseok is involved in all of this? </em>
</p><p>Jongdae’s heart screams in denial, tears collecting at the corner of his eyes. The thought renders his mind frozen, he almost doesn’t register that his hands get tied together and then Jongdae’s shoved into the trunk of a car. His knees scratch open, shoulder bumping against something, but his mind is too caught up on the possibility of Minseok betraying him.</p><p>It couldn’t be, it just couldn’t … was all their time together worth nothing? Did kisses shared in secret not mean a thing?</p><p>His chest aches with each shallow breath, doubt clouding precious memories of hushed moments of intimacy. Every shared gaze of yearning, all heated exchanges of affection ... turning twisted and grey. But Jongdae doesn’t want to believe that Minseok is part of this, trying to suppress the uncertainty that threatens to break the trust in his lover and protector; to shatter his bond with Minseok.</p><p>With his body bent in the trunk, Jongdae wipes away the tears with his tied hands and tries to slow down his breathing. The sound of the car moving helps to calm his mind and plan what’s best to do about his situation.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
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